


Comfortember 5: Afraid to Sleep

by FlyinBanachab



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Insomnia, Post-Promised Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyinBanachab/pseuds/FlyinBanachab
Summary: Everyone gets insomnia from time to time. It's just part of life. Sometimes bodies misbehave.Al tells himself this, over and over.You have a body now. You can feel the cold air coming through the window, the softness of the cushion underneath you, the warmth of your arms wrapped around your legs. You're breathing. You will sleep eventually. It's okay.
Relationships: Mei Chan | May Chang/Alphonse Elric
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	Comfortember 5: Afraid to Sleep

Everyone gets insomnia from time to time. It's just part of life. Sometimes bodies misbehave.

Al tells himself this, over and over.   


_You have a body now. You can feel the cold air coming through the window, the softness of the cushion underneath you, the warmth of your arms wrapped around your legs. You're breathing. You will sleep eventually. It's okay._

But the memories overwhelm his attempts to stay grounded. Years, YEARS of not sleeping, of trying to stay sane through so much darkness, pile on top of each other, threaten to suffocate him. He'd been SO happy the first time he woke up--he hadn't meant to fall asleep, hadn't even noticed it happening, but it was morning all of a sudden!! He’d cried tears of joy that morning. So many years later, sleeping no longer surprised him.   


But insomnia still terrified him.

_What if I never sleep again?_   


Quiet steps echo down the hallway. Mei. It was a courtesy, making noise; she could be silent if she wanted. Al uncurled himself and hastily wiped his eyes.  


"Al? What are you doing?" Her voice, fuzzy with sleep, full of concern. How did she even know he was up?  


"Nothing, nothing!" She worried about him way too much. "Just some random insomnia." She didn't need to know how scared he was at such a silly thing. She didn’t need to worry about him.  


She crept into the room then, stood in front of him tentatively. There had been a lot of tentativeness between them lately. They lived in the same house, studied and researched and practiced together, and... spent a lot of time avoiding each other’s eyes.  


Mei produced an ink pot from a hidden pocket. "Can I help?" She was offering to use alkahestry. But what, how.--?  


"Oh, I'm so stupid!" Al exclaimed, as the pieces fell into place. Of COURSE you could use it to cure insomnia. Totally obvious.   


Mei looked perplexed, rightfully so, but it made him laugh. "Sorry, I just realized what you’re going to do." He unbuttoned his shirt and slid the sleeve off his left shoulder. "Thank you."  


She sat next to him, then. Light as a feather. So close. And she smelled like jasmine, so nice... she dipped her finger in the ink and started drawing on his shoulder. It was... it was... it was good it was dark. She didn’t need to see him blushing like this over something totally medicinal.  


Then a new terror struck him, and he blurted out before he stop himself: "But what if it works and I can't ever fall asleep normally again? What if I always need alkahestry to fall asleep?"   


She stopped drawing.   


Grabbed his chin and turned his head so he see the fire in her eyes. Al shivered at their intensity.  


"Then, Alphonse Elric, I will put you to sleep every night!"

Normally this would be the moment they jump apart, look away, stutter apologies...

But tonight, she leaves her hand on his cheek. And he stares into her huge dark eyes and says, "thank you."  



End file.
